Sports Center

Lady Baymen Softball Goes Undefeated To Get Over .500

By Drew BuddAfter a tough 8-0 loss at Shoreham/Wading River on April 10, the Hampton Bays softball team returned to its winning ways with three straight victories last week.

After defeating Port Jefferson, 9-4, at home on April 16, the Lady Baymen (5-3 League VII) won, 10-4, at Southold/Greenport the following day, and then defeated Stony Brook, 18-5, at home on Friday.

Hampton Bays had a non-league game scheduled for Saturday against Central Islip (League II), but it was postponed due to poor field conditions. It is the second time this season the game has been postponed, but Hampton Bays head coach Rich Doulos said he was still hoping to play it at some point this season.

Doulos was pleased with how his team played this past week, heading into what could be a very important week. “We knew what we had to do,” he said. “We had a goal to go undefeated this week, we accomplished that. I knew we were going to need momentum going into this week, with Pierson, Babylon and Westhampton Beach coming up. We’re not overlooking any of those teams.”

It took a while for the Lady Baymen to adjust to Port Jeff starting pitcher Melissa Darling last week, but once they did, they were able to score some runs. A two-run home run to left field by senior Davie Romer sparked Hampton Bays, which went on to score three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth.

Romer finished 2 for 3 and freshman Marley Tyler went 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Tyler also pitched a complete game and allowed two earned runs on five hits and struck out seven without allowing a walk.

Hampton Bays senior Stephanie Salomon’s two-run triple in the third inning against Southold extended her team’s lead to 5-0 and the Lady Baymen cruised from that point forward. Romer went 4 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. Salomon finished 2 for 3.

Hampton Bays was geared up for slow pitching, having seen it all week, and it jumped all over Stony Brook starting pitcher Nicole Willoughby on Friday. Sophomore Becca Harris belted a three-run home run in what was a six-run third inning for the Lady Baymen. Harris finished 3 for 4.

Eighth-grader Mackenzie Tyler had her first multi-hit varsity game with a 3-for-3 day at the plate with two RBIs. Marley Tyler, Mackenzie’s older sister, pitched the first three innings of the game and didn’t allow a hit and struck out five. Harris pitched the final two innings in the mercy-rule shortened game.

Hampton Bays will play at Babylon on Friday in what could be a future matchup for the Suffolk County Class B Championship. Hampton Bays and Babylon have a long-standing rivalry from facing each other multiple times in the playoffs within the past few years and Doulos said his team is up for the challenge.

“I told the girls that the county title is kind of there if they want it,” he said. “It’s a statement game on Friday against Babylon. They have to make a statement and let everyone know that they are for real.”